1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a trailer and, more particularly, to a semi-trailer of the transfer type adapted to transport debris or loose articles.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semi-trailer of the transfer type is adapted to transport debris or loose articles. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the loose articles may include crushed vehicles, lumber, and/or coils, just to name a few. In general, the semi-trailer includes a tractor and a detachable trailer adapted to be partly supported by the rear of the tractor and pulled by the tractor. Such a tractor is well known in the art and can be of any suitable type that allows the trailer to be attached to and pulled by the tractor such that the trailer can haul crushed vehicles, for example.
Typically, the trailer includes a plurality of wheels for moving the trailer and a floor supported above the wheels for carrying the crushed vehicles. It is known for the trailer to be open at the top of the trailer. In this regard, the trailer can be a flatbed. Alternatively, the trailer can have side walls extending upwardly from the perimeter of the floor to define a container for receiving the crushed vehicles.
In operation, a loader, operating a loading apparatus, directly loads the crushed vehicles onto the floor of the trailer. The crushed vehicles can be loaded one or a plurality at a time and are often stacked in columns or rows to substantially cover the floor of the flatbed to a certain height or fill the volume defined by the container. Once the trailer has been loaded, another person securely binds the crushed vehicles to each other and the floor or within the container by using binders or chains, which are frequently tied down to posts or eyes provided on the floor or walls of the trailer.
The loading process usually requires at least three people—the driver, loader, and binder. And, depending upon the load requirement, the loading capacity of the loading apparatus, and the size of the trailer, the loading process can take about an hour and a half to complete. When the steps of transporting and unloading the crushed vehicles are included, the entire process can take about four hours to complete. Using a trailer having a length of about forty feet, it is not uncommon to load, transport, and unload about thirty tons of crushed vehicles.
However, since the binders or chains do not completely cover the crushed vehicles, it is still possible for individual parts of a crushed vehicle to become separated from the vehicle and fly out of the trailer, especially when the trailer reaches sufficiently excessive speeds during transport. As a result, such a trailer is now subject to federal, state, or municipal laws or regulations, which prohibit the trailer's uncovered use in transport on roads and highways. These laws or regulations are designed to prevent the debris or loose articles from flying out of the trailer and onto roads and highways, thereby creating hazards to traffic and polluting the environment with such debris or articles. As such, a covering for each trailer is mandated by the laws or regulations to prevent these hazards and pollution.
A variety of devices are known for covering such a trailer. For instance, it is known to place a tarpaulin covering over the opening defined by the top of the trailer and tied down to the posts or eyes provided on the floor or walls of the trailer to cover the trailer. It is also known to still use binders or chains to tie down the crushed vehicles, for example, prior to such placement of the covering. Alternatively and with special application to a flatbed, the binders or chains can be placed over the covering and tied down to the posts or eyes to tie down the covering and crushed vehicles.
However, covering the opening or tying down the crushed vehicles in these ways is inconvenient for a person loading and unloading the trailer. More specifically, such covering or tying down requires a great amount of physical effort of the loader/unloader and possible inherent physical danger and discomfort to the loader/unloader. This is especially so when the loader/unloader uses binders or chains by hand. Such covering or tying down also provides limited access to the inside of the trailer through the top of the trailer. Such covering or tying down also is relatively labor-intensive and time-consuming. Such covering or tying down also is relatively inefficient and, thus, unproductive.
Thus, there is a need for such a transfer trailer that permits relatively more efficiency and, thus, productivity in loading, transporting, and unloading the articles. There is a need for such a transfer trailer that also is relatively more convenient for a person loading and unloading the trailer. There is a need for such a transfer trailer that also requires a relatively less amount of physical effort of the loader/unloader and possible inherent physical danger and discomfort to the loader/unloader. There is a need for such a transfer trailer that also does not require use of binders or chains to load and transport the articles. There is a need for such a transfer trailer that also provides relatively more access to the inside of the trailer through the top of the trailer. There is a need for such a transfer trailer that is also relatively less labor-intensive and time-consuming to load and unload.